If you’re excited about LittleBigPlanet coming to the PS Vita at the end of this month, you’ll be happy to discover that LittleBigPlanet will be re-releasing its World Peace Day costume for free for this week only. So don’t forget to pick it up!

One of the great things about the App Store for the iPhone is the fact that game developers control the pricing of their apps, allowing them to discount at their whim. Fortunately, it looks like game publishers are doing the same, as Atlus announced its “Half Off Just About Everything For Just About A Month” (“HOJAEFJAAM”) sale that runs through July 31. Hit the jump for the PS Vita games on sale.

After all the waiting, my pre-ordered copy of Gravity Rush finally arrived. I’ve been waiting for this game even before the PS Vita was even available. Everything about this game just seemed to say that it was going to be a hit. Fortunately, the early reviews corroborated this and I took the plunge to pre-order the game. I’ve already played a few missions and gotten a good feel for the game. I’ll be posting my review soon, so stay tuned!

Not sure if you were lucky enough to submit your pre-order for Gravity Rush, but if you were, you might be in for a surprise. Amazon is apparently shipping its orders 3 days early based on what I received via email today:

Hello,

We have good news! One of your pre-ordered items is now eligible for release date delivery and has been upgraded at no additional charge. Your new delivery estimate is:

Can’t say I’m complaining. I’m definitely stoked to see this game in its entirety. The demo was way too short, but even then, I can see the amount of detail that was put into the game. Stay tuned for a review!

If you’ve been waiting as long as I have to play new games, then today is probably just as exciting for you as it is for me. Finally, after much waiting, Resistance: Burning Skies, Pure Chess, and Gravity Rush demo are finally available. We already talked about Pure Chess in yesterday’s post and we’ve talked plenty about Gravity Rush, but we haven’t really spent too much time on Resistance: Burning Skies. Stay tuned for first impressions!

OK, I’ll be the first to admit the fact that I’m a big fan of chess. Maybe it’s because its an intellectual game, maybe it’s because I played in high school, or maybe it’s because I like thinking that I’m smarter than I actually am, but there’s something about chess that just makes it so damn fun. For those of you that are like me, you’ll be happy to know that Pure Chess is going to be made available on May 29th, for both local and turn-based play. Chess games have exploded on mobile devices like the iPhone, where there are many popular social, turn-based chess games like Chess with Friends and Social Chess. But unlike many of its mobile competitors, Pure Chess has the advantage in that it will have its own built-in AI to compete against as well as training ranging from basic to advanced techniques. Even better, the PS Vita makes it capable to have fantastic graphics that are visually more stimulating than its mobile counterparts.

That said, there’s still some things to be determined. Will it have the ability to play random players? How will the Play By Mail work – will it require accessing your email via a different application in order to make the next move?

In any case, here is quick rundown of the features of Pure Chess:

Staunton, Checker, and Williams chess sets created with stunning detail and precision

While many of you may disagree with me, I’m still looking for the game to play for the PS Vita. Lumines is a great game to play when you just want to kick back and get in a quick game, but it’s not a game that you would exactly play for hours on end (at least not for me). LittleBigPlanet might, just might, be the game to get more folks interested in the PS Vita. Despite slumping sales, there are a couple interesting games in the PS Vita’s near future, with LittleBigPlanet being one of them. Check out the trailer released by Sony:

What’s interesting to me is how the controls of the PS Vita will actually bring some really cool gameplay to LittleBigPlanet, controls that are unavailable to its PS3 big brother, and that are hopefully unlike the gimmicky controls of the other first wave of PS Vita games. LittleBigPlanet could arguably be one of the best types of games for having a front touchscreen (personally, the rear touchscreen adds little gameplay value to any game in my opinion). With such creative levels, the ability to manipulate your environment both in playing and creating levels via touch could add another dynamic to the game unavailable in previous LBP console games. Hopefully, LittleBigPlanet will be one of the answers to the prayers that Sony has been asking for.

According to Sony’s new CEO on their earnings call, Kaz Hirai, Sony has sold 1.8 million PS Vita’s worldwide. While this might sound like an impressive number, this is in light of the fact that Sony has seen a slump in sales in most regions. Moreover, compare this number to Nintendo’s 3DS, which sold 10.5 million handhelds during the same period. A lot of their troubles could probably be attributed to the lack in solid games. Since it’s debut, there haven’t really been any compelling games. Both Hirai and Shigeru Miyamoto have stated that the PS Vita needs more software.

It’s obviously a very hi-spec machine, and you can do lots of things with it,” Miyamoto told Edge magazine. “But I don’t really see the combination of software and hardware that really makes a very strong product.

I don’t think it’s rocket science to figure out that the PS Vita really needs a game library lift in order to get its sales jumpstarted again.

If you felt like you didn’t have Skype on enough platforms already, you will be happy to know that Skype finally dropped onto the PlayStation®Store for North America. European folks will have to wait until Wednesday to get their hands on this App. The new Skype App offers both Skype-to-Skype voice and video (and you thought you’d never use that front-facing camera, did ya?) calling. The App allows for calls over both WiFi and 3G (and you thought you’d never use that 3G, did ya?). Fortunately, unlike it’s sibling on the Windows Phone, Skype on the PS Vita can run in the background, allowing you to take calls while running other PS Vita Apps. Note, however, that some games like Uncharted don’t allow for WiFi to be enabled, thereby making Skype moot. Hit the jump to see Skype in action.